The Guilty Pleasures of Writers

Today, I’ve been thinking about so-called guilty pleasures. Many of us have habits they cannot deprive themselves of, but which can be embarrassing to tell somebody about, or that makes us feel like we are doing something wrong. For example, a slim girl may be a fan of pastries, eating tons of them, and then spending days in a gym afterwards. Or a brutal metalhead may be a secret fan of cute, pink Japanese pop-idols.

These thoughts made me think about the most common guilty pleasures writers might possess. Since writing is rather a lifestyle than a profession, writers have their habits connected to their occupation, one way or another. So, here is my short-list of hypothetical guilty pleasures of writers:

1.Cheap pocket-book popular literature. I believe no matter how serious a writer thinks he or she is, they still allow themselves to read crude stuff like vampire sagas (I don’t mention any names, see?), novels about masochistic relationships (no names again), or manga about high-school romances. I know about this one. How? Uhm… well, because I’m a fan of manga about high-school romances myself.

2.Regularly reading through and being subscribed to blogs like, “How to make readers love your writing,” “How to become a popular author in 90 days,” or “How to write like Stephen King without being Stephen King.”

3.Dreaming about being in the spotlight, signing autographs for devoted fans during crowded autograph sessions, giving lectures about literature in universities, and telling Oprah your story of success as a writer.

4.Anonymously writing short melancholic, cheesy love-stories (epic fantasy stories, psychological thriller stories, and so on) on a forum for young literature addicts, and being glad to have subscribers and fans there. That’s of course apart from your super-serious “official” literary career.

5.Drinking a glass or two of wine while writing (I do this myself sometimes). This is an easy way to relax your mind and help phrases flow, but it should be done seldom (see the line about “writing is a lifestyle”), or you might be at risk.

I wonder how many people reading this blog thought said something like, “Man, how did he guess?” Anyways, stay updated for more cookies!